Moving from New York to San Jose (San Francisco, Sunnyvale: for sale, apartment complex)

[Jax22]

Hello,
My fiance moved from NY to Walnut Creek 8 month ago for a job, he is now taking a new job in San Jose. I will be moving to San Jose to be with him. I have never been to San Jose so I'm looking for some help. We are in our mid 20's and are looking for a great area to live in.
We need advice on areas in San Jose, neighborhood recommendation's and any apartment recommendations.

A few things we are looking for:
A SAFE area
We have a dog, so a pet friendly area
I really like the city of Walnut Creek, restaurants, bars & shops. Anything similar in San Jose?
Friendly People, if thats possible
A fairly new/modern apartment/town home to rent. Don't want anything old or out dated. (2 bedrooms, nice kitchen, patio/balcony)
Would not mind a nice area to bike ride/hike but not crucial.

Also, how far is the Beach, Napa Valley & the city of San Fran from San Jose?

Any other recommendations or advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

[humboldtrat]

Santana Row but it's probaly expensive. Any place in the downtown area which has shops, bars, restaurants, etc. Also check out Campbell, just west of San Jose Welcome to Downtown Campbell. There is also light rail transit from Campbell to San Jose.

San Francisco is 50 miles away, Santa Cruz (the beach) is about an hour away. Napa, maybe 90 minutes to 2 hours away.

[Jax22]

Thank you.
Is Santana Row a safe area? I heard that they only take small dogs, mine is 45 lbs. Not sure if that will work.
But I will def. look into it!

What other suggestions do you have in the way of neighborhoods? Maybe a bit quieter and a little more quaint but still within a reasonable distance to the shops and restaurants?

[humboldtrat]

The Santana Row area, which takes up several city blocks, seems safe. I have no idea what their dog policy is. There are other apartment complexes in the area (and probably cheaper ones) near Santana Row. Outside of a couple areas such as the downtown area, much of San Jose is boring suburban sprawl.

Beside Campbell, which is nice, there is also Mountain View, about 12 - 15 miles north of San Jose. It is also on the light rail line that goes to San Jose. Castro Street is the main street downtown and there are many restaurants in the area (especially if you like Asian and Indian food).

If you're interested in public transit (gas is about $4.25 here), there is Caltrain, a commuter train between San Francisco and San Jose caltrain.com - home

[krudmonk]

New York City? There's nothing out here like that. California is generally more relaxed, with less hustle and bustle (often judged as "boring"). If you're looking for that lifestyle, try San Francisco, the city on the wrong coast.

[MikeSJ]

I suspect it is going to be very difficult to find a rental that will allow a 45 lb pet. Most rentals in the south bay either don't allow any pets or only small pets. Santana Row is mostly for sales units and have associations that restrict pets.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by MikeSJ

Santana Row is mostly for sales units and have associations that restrict pets.

According to their website, they also have rentals. But your're probably right about having a large pet.

[Jax22]

Thanks. So to put it into perspective for me,(sorry never been to San Jose before), Santana Row, Downtown San Jose, Campbell they are all a short drive away from each other? So if I rented outside of the hustle and bustle of say Santana Row is would still be do-able to drive there for dinner or something?

I live on Long Island and everything is just a short drive away. We have the city but I live in the suburbs and we have nice towns with shops, restaurants and bars about 10 mins away.

What about Willow Glen? Hows that area?

I appreciate everyone's input

[gooski]

Originally Posted by Jax22

Thanks. So to put it into perspective for me,(sorry never been to San Jose before), Santana Row, Downtown San Jose, Campbell they are all a short drive away from each other? So if I rented outside of the hustle and bustle of say Santana Row is would still be do-able to drive there for dinner or something?

I live on Long Island and everything is just a short drive away. We have the city but I live in the suburbs and we have nice towns with shops, restaurants and bars about 10 mins away.

What about Willow Glen? Hows that area?

I appreciate everyone's input

Rivermark is a fairly new area in Santa Clara/North San Jose - very popular with the young white collar types since Cisco and other big companies are very close by.

Downtown Sunnyvale is another place; Historic Murphy Ave has some nice restaurants and bars.

All these places along with the ones you mention above are within a 20 minutes drive of each other outside of commute hours.

Willow Glen is an older quaint area but it does have its share of restaurants and unique stores.

Santana Row is a fun area with plenty of restaurants and bars; might be noisy if you lived right above the scene but if you lived close by, you wouldn't even notice the noise.

Some links below



Rivermark of Santa Clara

Downtown Sunnyvale

Welcome to Downtown Willow Glen - Personal, Friendly, Different

[Jax22]

Does anyone know where 550 Moreland Apartment Complex is
550 Moreland Way Santa Clara, CA 95054

Hows the surrounding area?
They take dogs up to 50 lbs, looks nice on the internet but I can't find any reviews.

550 Moreland in Santa Clara, CA